They’re coming for the Knights of Columbus

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Thom18 said:
We’re not changing our name. Columbus is the man that Father McGivney chose to represent us as Catholic Americans, and it’s not our place to change it. Christopher is a testament to the fact that Catholics have played a major role in our nation’s founding and maintenance, that we have a place in American society that can’t be held from us. Many Catholic Americans and even saints can meet this criteria, but they were not chosen by Father McGivney to be our namesake.
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Ok, but Father McGivney clearly left a leadership structure in place. He obviously knew that people would need to make decisions and adjustments after he was gone. Besides, maybe he was just wrong about this one thing. They doesn’t mean he wasn’t a wise and holy person generally, just that maybe he got this specific piece wrong.
 
This is where the logic breaks down for me. It seems to go, “if we accept claim A, we have to accept claims B-Z.” That’s not true.

People also seem to assume that because some people make getting offended into a hobby and are constantly complaining about everything under the sun, that means that no one is ever justifiably and legitimately offended. Also a logical fail in my book.
 
I think also that at the time Catholics might have been viewed as more pledged to the Pope than tonthe country. So taking the name of Columbus was an attempt to prove patriotism, which is also the 4th degree.
 
I agree, lots of these complaints are silly twitter fueled hysteria. Where you lose me is the idea that that somehow invalidates all claims. There are legitimate reasons to disassociate Columbus from a Catholic fraternal organization. That doesn’t mean that in a year when someone demands we reimagine Jesus as a non-binary trans activist we’ll be obligated to agree.
 
I could have worded it differently but this is what these people are asking for. I swore to defend Christ Church. I don’t look for trouble but will defend His Bride if they come.
 
Amen to that.

What is really at issue beneath a lot of this being offended crap is hostility to Christianity. It will eventually come out more pronounced.
 
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RolandThompsonGunner said:
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Thom18:
We’re not changing our name. Columbus is the man that Father McGivney chose to represent us as Catholic Americans, and it’s not our place to change it. Christopher is a testament to the fact that Catholics have played a major role in our nation’s founding and maintenance, that we have a place in American society that can’t be held from us. Many Catholic Americans and even saints can meet this criteria, but they were not chosen by Father McGivney to be our namesake.
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Ok, but Father McGivney clearly left a leadership structure in place. He obviously knew that people would need to make decisions and adjustments after he was gone. Besides, maybe he was just wrong about this one thing. They doesn’t mean he wasn’t a wise and holy person generally, just that maybe he got this specific piece wrong.
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I don’t think that he got it wrong, and I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a Knight who does. I don’t believe that (soon-to-be) Blessed Father McGivney made this choice thoughtlessly, nor do I think we ought to abrogate him in light of mob action.
 
Mrchatsworth said:
But you could change it just from a marketing standpoint
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I don’t understand why anyone thinks we need to change our name. Columbus is our namesake, and the people “offended” by that decision don’t seem to be the kind who would desire to associate with us were we called something else.
 
Thom18 said:
I don’t understand why anyone thinks we need to change our name. Columbus is our namesake, and the people “offended” by that decision don’t seem to be the kind who would desire to associate with us were we called something else.
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We’re also a sexist organization according to them. Wait until that becomes a complaint.
 
So the name of the order is more important to you than the work of the order? Is holding on to the name of a historical figure who some find problematic more important than serving our parishes and our dioceses and providing for the widows and orphans of our brother knights? The group was named for Columbus to address issues particular to late-19th Century US; those reasons aren’t really relevant to our members in Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, or elsewhere outside the US. I’m a second generation Sir Knight and I’d have no problem being a member of the group if it were renamed for Mother Cabrini or Father McGivney.
 
Is it really that people are offended or are they just virtue signalling?
 
I oppose changing the name, but if you were going to, Charlemagne would be an excellent choice!

But did he ever do anything that an identity group could find offensive?

Knights of Constantine? There you go! Even better!

So what else is new? If you did research into my character, you could find a truckload of reasons why I should not be canonized. We are all sinners.
Cruciferi said:
Better rename the Capital of Ohio then…
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And you can’t stop there. Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, is also named after him. And let’s not forget the District of Columbia. (Washington owned slaves, but that is another thread entirely.) And the Columbia River. And the numerous cities and towns across the country that are also named for Columbus — Columbus and Columbia (both in North Carolina), Columbus in Mississippi and Georgia, and Columbia in several other states. The legendary Columbia Steak House in Lexington, Kentucky (Google it) might not even be safe. Where does it end?

There was a similar controversy in King County, Washington (Seattle), named after a man said by many to be a racist. This became a problem, so they just “renamed” the county… after Martin Luther King Junior!

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Good thinking there.
 
I’m with this tbh. I’m not really concerned with a name, I’m there for the organization and charity. That said it seems a little random and impulsive tbh.
 
It might up potential membership if you changed your name. If I were a black catholic I’d think twice About membership especially if the organization took a hard stance against the change.
 
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